A bird flew while carrying a ring on its finger, soaring high above a vast desert. Beneath it lay a sprawling city, and at its center stood a towering, colossal structure.
The bird continued until it reached a tall red building with multiple floors, crowned by a blue roof with a hanging clock. Thousands of residents stood in lines before its large blue gate.
It flew up to the highest floor and landed on a horizontal iron rod fixed to the wall.
The moment it settled, a tall bald man wearing gloves approached and took the ring from the bird, which immediately flew away after delivering it.
The man headed toward a massive transparent tube, surrounded by many others dressed the same way, each collecting rings from birds.
He stopped at the tube and used the ring, which emitted a violet glow. As soon as it vanished, dozens of messages appeared, drawn out by the tube.
The messages moved rapidly through a network of tubes, storage units, and transport carts, handled and distributed by workers.
One message was launched into a tube marked with a golden sign, alongside many others. It traveled underground, continuing its path until it reached the headquarters of the Noor Organization.
The message moved inside and entered one of the apartments, stopping at a black box adorned with golden engravings. The box rang the moment the message arrived.
Rin extended his hand as soon as he heard the sound and took the message.
"He replied quickly… it seems the Border Guard's messaging center is faster than here."
He opened the letter and read it quickly. His emotions shifted between surprise, happiness, sarcasm, and a lack of astonishment.
"Heh… looks like he adapted quickly, even making new friends." Rin smiled, then placed the message on the table.
He picked up black gloves and wore them along with a suit made of leather and cotton, shimmering with faint transparent waves.
Then he took a pistol with a golden grip and placed it in its holster.
Rin left the apartment and began walking downstairs, the harsh sunlight striking his face while cool air brushed against him.
…
The wind moved through the city's narrow passages and intertwined homes. The streets were noisy with voices of women and children, with tall palm trees scattered around and fabric clothes hanging between houses.
Rin walked among them with a smile until he reached an old tall house, its door open and a yellow tape surrounding the area.
A short man with long hair and a thick beard spoke in a calm, deep voice: "This is your first field mission, right?"
Rin looked at him, smiling. "Yes, it is."
Thud… "Ouch." Rin placed his hand on the back of his head after something hit him.
He turned around to see Rim standing there, wearing a dark brown outfit with light wheat-colored lines, black gloves, and black shoes.
"You adapted quickly."
Rin was slightly surprised, then pointed at her. "What are you doing here?"
His tone was light, smooth, almost musical, carrying warmth and familiarity.
She laughed. "Even your dialect has changed—you really adapted fast."
"But you didn't answer me. What are you doing here?"
"What do you think? Taking a vacation? It's field training."
"But the Adal Organization's headquarters is in the capital. That's over 2,500 kilometers away."
Rim shrugged with a tone of slight frustration. "What can I do? One of the officials suggested sending some new trainees here since most people are busy."
The short man clapped his hands twice, drawing their attention. "Are you two going to keep talking?"
He entered the house, followed by Rin and Rim. The moment they stepped inside, a foul smell spread—one familiar to both of them.
"Ugh… what is that smell? It's awful." Rin covered his nose.
"You're right… but it's not unfamiliar," Rim said, scanning the place.
The moment her eyes settled ahead, she understood.
A body lay there—its hands severed, and its head pierced by a long iron nail.
Rin felt a sharp pain in his stomach. Rim felt it too, but kept her composure.
Two men in similar uniforms stood beside the body, documenting and examining the scene.
"What happened?" Rim asked, trying to avert her gaze.
The short man replied, "A murder at nine this morning. The victim is Louis Jean, 24 years old, originally from the Green Meadows. A university student at Herm University."
"What is someone from there doing here?" Rin asked, still uneasy.
"He was intelligent, knowledgeable in many fields, with high grades. From a poor family—his father died when he was young. He came here to study and improve his living conditions."
"That's… really unfortunate. He's still young," Rim said sadly.
"Anything unusual besides the brutal method?" she asked, stepping closer.
One of the men replied, "Nothing… except—"
"Except what?" Rin asked, curious.
"The TX indicator showed a high Feather concentration in the area."
"High Feather concentration… how much?" an old man asked, approaching the body.
"…Around 6."
The short man's eyes widened. "Six?!"
Rim slightly turned her head and whispered to Rin, "Isn't TX used to measure land?"
"Yes, but there's another TX type—it measures Feather density in the air. It's used in crime scenes."
"How do you know?"
"The Noor Organization has the largest office in the empire."
"So that's why you chose it?"
"Yes… along with Alex's recommendation."
Rim shifted her gaze back to the body, pulled out a metal clamp, removed the nail from the skull, and placed it into a small transparent bag.
"This doesn't look like an ordinary murder," the short man muttered, then said aloud, "Continue collecting evidence. I'll be back."
He left with the others, leaving Rin and Rim alone.
Rim took out a transparent lens with a faint blue reflection and began observing.
Through it, the area was tinted in shades of blue, violet, and faint white.
At that moment, Rin approached the body, still uneasy, his expression filled with disgust.
He began pressing different parts of it.
In the silence, Rim spoke, "Did you contact Eugene?"
Rin paused for a moment before continuing. "Yes… he sent me a message this morning… he mentioned you haven't contacted him."
Rim turned, surprised. "And why does that matter to him?"
"He thinks you're upset with him… or something happened."
She went silent for a moment. "I'm not upset. There's just nothing to share."
"What about checking on him?" Rin asked, his expression shifting.
"He's in the Border Guard. I doubt anything will happen to him. And sending a full message just to ask? That doesn't make sense… not for me, and not for him."
She noticed Rin's strange expression. "What's wrong?"
He stood still. "This body… has no blood at all."
"What? How?" Rim's eyes widened.
Rin held up a badge taken from the victim's clothes. "And this."
Rim stepped closer.
An inverted sword piercing a white skull, surrounded by strange symbols.
"What is this?" she asked, tense.
"I don't know."
"So what do we do?"
"Best option… search the Noor Organization's records."
"Do they even have records of symbols like this?"
"I told you—it's the largest archive in the empire."
…
They spent half an hour searching, but found nothing.
Rim took out a small blue notebook and recorded everything—the victim's information, method of death, location, Feather level, and the symbol.
They left the scene just as a police officer in blue uniform approached.
"Is the site secured?" he asked.
Rim nodded.
She looked ahead, spotting the Noor headquarters in the distance. Her expression tightened.
"What's wrong?" Rin asked.
"Are we really going to walk all that way?"
Rin laughed and pointed across the street. "There's a train station."
Rim smiled. "Thank God…"
At that moment, a drop of rain fell… then suddenly, a heavy storm erupted.
Rain poured violently, thunder roaring, and the scent of wet earth spread within seconds.
"My clothes!" Rim ran toward the station.
"Wait!" Rin followed her.
They reached a wide station with a large roof, wooden benches, trash bins, incense scent, and a large red patterned carpet.
"Damn… I'm soaked."
"It's fine, I can dry them."
"I didn't bring spare clothes—I thought this was just a few hours of training."
"And?"
"How am I supposed to dry them without changing? Walk around naked?"
Her tone carried irritation.
"Oh… right. Sorry."
"Why are you apologizing? It's nothing."
"You sound angry."
"I'm not. I'm just annoyed about my clothes."
…
They sat down, leaving a small space between them, as the rain continued.
"So… how's Eugene?" she asked.
"He's good. Adapted quickly. Made new friends."
"Of course… he's social. He'll probably forget us," she joked.
"No… I don't think so. He's not that type," Rin said.